On July 20, 2009 police in Quang Binh province launched a surprised attack on the unarmed parishioners of Tam Toa - a struggling parish of the diocese of Vinh in Central Vietnam - when these Catholics were erecting a makeshift tent as a temporary place for worshiping services. The assault resulted in hundreds being injured, and dozens were taken away in police vehicles and detained indefinitely.
A week later, the diocese of Vinh reported that two Catholic priests had been beaten brutally by plain clothed police and government's hired thugs.
Fr Paul Nguyen was beaten by a group of men when he intervened to save three women who were being attacked by the same men. Later he had described the attack in his own words: "before I could say a word. .. they have brushed the women aside and turned on me, beating me passionately, upon recognizing me as a priest. There were at least 30 uniformed policemen nearby and who simply looked on with indifference while I was subjected to the attack." He was hospitalized with broken ribs and multiple head injuries.
Another victim- priest, Fr Peter Nguyen The Binh, was beaten up by an armed gang and dropped off from a second floor of a hospital when he visited Fr Nguyen there.
Plain clothed police and government hired thugs in the diocese's Dong Hoi city had also attacked anyone on the street wearing Catholic symbols. In particular, a local woman, Mrs. Nguyen Thi Yen, and her 9 year old son were punched and kicked without mercy just. Some Catholic families reportedly have fled the city in search of safety.
In another case, Mr. Peter Mai Van Truong, 48 and his wife of Dong Yen, Ky Anh, and Ha Tinh province were beaten to half-death, and all his properties including his tools to earn for living were robbed. "On the way from Ky Anh to Dong Hoi to visit his brothers and sisters at Tam Toa on July 27, Truong and his wife were ambushed by government thugs. Having recognized them Catholics, the gang beat them savagely and took away his motorbike, driver license and other documents, all money, and a camera from a friend valued at about 500 USD,” Fr. Peter Khai reported, noting that all happened in broad daylight under indifferent eyes of police officers in uniform.
The situation in Dong Hoi has led to the belief among Vietnamese Catholic observers that the Church in Vietnam has probably been chosen to be the human sacrifice in the power struggle of fractions within the Communist Party, and Vietnam government has opted using Red Guards just as China did in the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution during the period of 1966-1976 to stifle growing criticisms against it.
Unraveling developments in Vietnam politics may help to shed light into harsh treatment of Vietnam government against Catholics.
Pervading corruptions.
In the era of an open market, when there is plenty of opportunities for government officials to get rich overnight through shady deals, the danger of corruption would also be looming as the rich of the same socio-political class needs to form an alliance of the same breeds who would do anything to buy out the hearts and souls of the public officials who view the thickness of their wallet seems more important than the welfare of the public, even the security of the country.
The scandal at PMU18 can serve as an example. It started out with sport booking!
- There was $7 million worth of bets placed during business - and it raised such a ruckus here that even the leader of the Communist Party had to interfere, saying that corruption "threatens the survival of our system."
The bets were reportedly placed by the head of PMU18, a government agency that handles 2 billion USD in foreign development aid for construction projects.
The amount of money at stake was an eye-opener over the audacity of the corruption that seems to pervade Vietnam. In just one bet, according to the local press, $320,000 was lost on a match in Britain between Manchester United and Arsenal on Jan. 3, 2008.
The discovery of the bets had let investigators to a trail of mansions, mistresses, luxury cars and protection money and subsequently led to the resignation in early April of the Transport Minister Dao Dinh Binh and the jailing of his deputy Nguyen Viet Tien. Three men implicated in the scandal who had been on a list of nominees to join the Communist Party Central Committee later that month also were forced to withdraw.
Ironically, the seemingly serious investigation reached only to certain point and was quietly called off. All the parties involved were found not guilty. Soon the two reporters who blew the whistle on the scandal were jailed instead of the accused in a most bizarre twist of the case. Worst of all, the star witness in this case, Mr. Pham Tien Dung, was found dead in his prison cell under mysterious circumstances.
As the corruption plague gets more and more pervasive, criticism against the Politburo - the chief political and executive committee of Vietnamese Communist Party - has been mounting from various directions including from within the (Communist) party. And not only have the calamity of the corruption plagued on national level, but more to come…
Bauxite project.
After the news Bauxite exploitation plan had broken out by some newspaper, it went on throughout the country in whispers that the Politburo had secretly struck a deal with the Chinese on the plan without getting the approval from the Congress.
The criticism of bauxite projects has come from various directions. Opponents of the bauxite projects claimed the environmental and social damage from the mines would far outweigh any economic benefit, and pointed to security concerns due to the long term presence of hundreds of thousands of Chinese workers in bauxite mines.
Joining the chorus of the critics of the shady plan, and using a strong-language in his pastoral letter dated May 31, a Vietnamese Cardinal has condemned the exploitation of natural resources which damages the environment, urged Catholics to protest against new economic plans, and to pray for the government to show their concern for the people, the land, and future generations.
Cardinal Jean Baptiste Pham Minh Man, Archbishop of Saigon, stated that it is his pastoral duty to inform and raise awareness among his faithful about the risks of environmental damage in Vietnam after reviewing the recent reports on the issue at hand. The Cardinal's letter came a few days after a decision from Vietnam congress to back bauxite mining projects in the Central Highlands region despite widespread public protests.
The debate at Vietnam National Assembly occurred after a public outcry from scientists, intellectuals and former military high ranking officials-including general Vo Nguyen Giap, the legendary communist wartime hero – who oppose bauxite mining projects endorsed by the Politburo of Vietnam Communist Party - the Vietnam's most powerful ruling body.
Although the criticism of bauxite projects has come from various directions, in response, state-owned media have seemed to choose to punish only Catholics. Last month, Fr Peter Nguyen Van Khai, the spokesman of Hanoi Redemptorist Monastery, and another Redemptorist, Fr Joseph Le Quang Uy were victimized by the government for their opposition against bauxite projects when they decided to launch an inquiry for public opinion by asking all Vietnamese people to sign on a petition, asking the government to reconsider the risky plan. They were accused of being "stupid" and "ignorant", causing egregious harm to national unity and process of development, and of plotting to overthrow the communist regime.
In a clear gesture to defend the accused Catholic priests, the Cardinal viewed the open criticism of bauxite projects as "healthy signs" of a democratic society urging his faithful to stand up in the same manner to voice their protest "through legitimate representatives and media" because "protecting environment is our Christian's duty," he confirmed.
Vietnamese growing dissatisfaction with the government’s stance on China-Vietnam border issues.
Cardinal Jean Baptiste Pham has also involved in another "clash" with Vietnam government in a very sensitive issue of Vietnam- China border issues.
On July 24, the Archbishopric of Saigon and the Tri Thuc Publisher held a conference on Vietnam- China border issues amid news that the Vietnamese Communist Party under the pressure of its counterpart in China is going to compromise more on Land and Sea border negotiation.
The conference had been scheduled to take place right at the hall of the Archbishopric of Saigon. But at the last minutes, under heavy pressures of the government it had to move to another much smaller pastoral care center, 2 km away. Also, some key speakers including the Cardinal suddenly withdrew. They could not attend the conference due to “other much more important appointments”.
In November 2007, China formalized its annexation of the Paracels and Spratlys by incorporating the two archipelagoes into a newly formed administrative unit (known as "Tam Sa") of Hainan province. When this decision became known, Vietnamese students organized unprecedented protests outside Chinese diplomatic offices in Hanoi and Saigon. These protests only lasted for two weeks as Vietnamese police depressed quickly and detained many of the organizers.
Students’ patriotic protests called into question the legitimacy of the communist’s rule. Fifty years ago, China issued a declaration essentially claiming the entire South China Sea as an inland lake. Within days, on Sep. 14, 1958, prime minister Pham Van Dong of North Vietnam sent a diplomatic note to his counterpart Chou En-lai, acknowledging China's claim. The motivation of the Hanoi communists was absurd but for obvious reason: they needed China's military support badly during the war against the US-backed South Vietnam.
Toward the end of the Vietnam War, China taking advantage of South Vietnam's weakening military position attacked the Paracel Islands. In the naval battle of January 19, 1974, and subsequent Chinese attacks, 53 South Vietnamese sailors lost their lives defending the islands. The Saigon government protested the unprovoked invasion, while the Hanoi government expressed support for the Chinese move.
After the communist takeover of South Vietnam in 1975, more disgraceful concessions with China have been made by the Vietnam government. In year 2000 alone, Vietnam lost 700 sq.km of its land area for China. Hanoi regime relies on China for political support, photocopying Beijing's model of open economics and closed politics. As a result, it is reluctant to openly criticize China out of the fear that to criticize China is to condemn itself. Recently, China's renewed assertion of sovereignty over the entire South China Sea - waters between Vietnam and the Philippines and stretching down to Indonesia - have stirred popular outrage at home and across the Diaspora due to Hanoi's mute reaction to Beijing's stance and its disgraceful land and water border concessions to China.
Land disputes.
In both the capital Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City (formerly known as Saigon) hundreds of peasants protest daily to plead for the requisition of their land.
In a letter to the President and the PM of Vietnam, Bishop Michael Hoang Duc Oanh of Kontum diocese wrote "In this country numerous of the farmers and the poor have pleaded for years for the requisition of their properties but all in vain, as the authorities chose to persecute rather than to take care of them!"
Land disputes in Vietnam are on the rise as land value has increased at a dazing rate. As the corruption plague gets more and more pervasive, local authorities get bolder and bolder in seeking illegitimate, personal gain. They have invented infeasible projects just to have a cause to confiscate or to buy at very low cost land of farming land from the peasants. Once the owners have been kicked out of their land, state officials resell their land at higher prices, or build up hotels, restaurants, and night clubs as financial resources for government officials.
They have also started looking at Church properties that have been seized for years as in the case of Thai Ha land, Hanoi nunciature, and monasteries in South Vietnam. Church properties that are still in the Church’s control do not escape their greed neither.
Land and Property disputes with Catholics have resulted in massive protests in Hanoi, Thai Ha, Ha Dong, Vinh Long, Hue, and An Giang. The government risks facing similar protests from other religions and sects.
In these political and social contexts, Vietnam government obviously opted to create a cloud of fear and suspicion over the society by their brutal violence.
Recently, at least 30 dissidents have been reportedly arrested including Le Cong Dinh a prominent Vietnamese lawyer who was sitting on the defense of many high profile human rights cases in Vietnam. He was critical about the bauxite mining in central highlands of Vietnam, and was arrested by the Vietnamese government on June 13, 2009 on national security charges of "conducting propaganda against the government", though the arrest was met by the international community with strong objections.
The violent persecution at Dong Hoi is also in a plot to stifle dissidents and all those whose interests conflict with the Party.
What has become the new "norm" in the Vietnamese society nowadays is the indisputable existence of groups of pseudo-state men that seem to be present at any place where there is a clash between the government and the citizens. This "army" composes of vicious men who are acting like thugs with such an effectiveness due to their violent nature. The state media have never denied the existence of pro-government gangs. Rather, they seem to be pleased with their performance and therefore they appear more frequently during any conflict of the government versus the people. Their job is not only to terrify the Catholics but to other social groups of the Vietnamese people as a whole. It seems the ruling Party is sending a message to the entire nation that it has strong supports from non military people who are willing to protect the Party at any cost, most notably through violence.
The intensity and level of violence in Dong Hoi so far is much more than in Hanoi and Thai Ha as the local government of the city has followed a strict policy of persecutions on religions. It has never so shy about making known of their desire to transform Dong Hoi into a "No Catholic zone" just like in Son La and several other towns in the Central Highland of Vietnam when the existence of Catholics have been denied - even thousands of them actually living in the area.
A week later, the diocese of Vinh reported that two Catholic priests had been beaten brutally by plain clothed police and government's hired thugs.
Fr Paul Nguyen was beaten by a group of men when he intervened to save three women who were being attacked by the same men. Later he had described the attack in his own words: "before I could say a word. .. they have brushed the women aside and turned on me, beating me passionately, upon recognizing me as a priest. There were at least 30 uniformed policemen nearby and who simply looked on with indifference while I was subjected to the attack." He was hospitalized with broken ribs and multiple head injuries.
Another victim- priest, Fr Peter Nguyen The Binh, was beaten up by an armed gang and dropped off from a second floor of a hospital when he visited Fr Nguyen there.
Plain clothed police and government hired thugs in the diocese's Dong Hoi city had also attacked anyone on the street wearing Catholic symbols. In particular, a local woman, Mrs. Nguyen Thi Yen, and her 9 year old son were punched and kicked without mercy just. Some Catholic families reportedly have fled the city in search of safety.
In another case, Mr. Peter Mai Van Truong, 48 and his wife of Dong Yen, Ky Anh, and Ha Tinh province were beaten to half-death, and all his properties including his tools to earn for living were robbed. "On the way from Ky Anh to Dong Hoi to visit his brothers and sisters at Tam Toa on July 27, Truong and his wife were ambushed by government thugs. Having recognized them Catholics, the gang beat them savagely and took away his motorbike, driver license and other documents, all money, and a camera from a friend valued at about 500 USD,” Fr. Peter Khai reported, noting that all happened in broad daylight under indifferent eyes of police officers in uniform.
The situation in Dong Hoi has led to the belief among Vietnamese Catholic observers that the Church in Vietnam has probably been chosen to be the human sacrifice in the power struggle of fractions within the Communist Party, and Vietnam government has opted using Red Guards just as China did in the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution during the period of 1966-1976 to stifle growing criticisms against it.
Unraveling developments in Vietnam politics may help to shed light into harsh treatment of Vietnam government against Catholics.
Pervading corruptions.
In the era of an open market, when there is plenty of opportunities for government officials to get rich overnight through shady deals, the danger of corruption would also be looming as the rich of the same socio-political class needs to form an alliance of the same breeds who would do anything to buy out the hearts and souls of the public officials who view the thickness of their wallet seems more important than the welfare of the public, even the security of the country.
The scandal at PMU18 can serve as an example. It started out with sport booking!
- There was $7 million worth of bets placed during business - and it raised such a ruckus here that even the leader of the Communist Party had to interfere, saying that corruption "threatens the survival of our system."
The bets were reportedly placed by the head of PMU18, a government agency that handles 2 billion USD in foreign development aid for construction projects.
The amount of money at stake was an eye-opener over the audacity of the corruption that seems to pervade Vietnam. In just one bet, according to the local press, $320,000 was lost on a match in Britain between Manchester United and Arsenal on Jan. 3, 2008.
The discovery of the bets had let investigators to a trail of mansions, mistresses, luxury cars and protection money and subsequently led to the resignation in early April of the Transport Minister Dao Dinh Binh and the jailing of his deputy Nguyen Viet Tien. Three men implicated in the scandal who had been on a list of nominees to join the Communist Party Central Committee later that month also were forced to withdraw.
Ironically, the seemingly serious investigation reached only to certain point and was quietly called off. All the parties involved were found not guilty. Soon the two reporters who blew the whistle on the scandal were jailed instead of the accused in a most bizarre twist of the case. Worst of all, the star witness in this case, Mr. Pham Tien Dung, was found dead in his prison cell under mysterious circumstances.
As the corruption plague gets more and more pervasive, criticism against the Politburo - the chief political and executive committee of Vietnamese Communist Party - has been mounting from various directions including from within the (Communist) party. And not only have the calamity of the corruption plagued on national level, but more to come…
Bauxite project.
After the news Bauxite exploitation plan had broken out by some newspaper, it went on throughout the country in whispers that the Politburo had secretly struck a deal with the Chinese on the plan without getting the approval from the Congress.
The criticism of bauxite projects has come from various directions. Opponents of the bauxite projects claimed the environmental and social damage from the mines would far outweigh any economic benefit, and pointed to security concerns due to the long term presence of hundreds of thousands of Chinese workers in bauxite mines.
Joining the chorus of the critics of the shady plan, and using a strong-language in his pastoral letter dated May 31, a Vietnamese Cardinal has condemned the exploitation of natural resources which damages the environment, urged Catholics to protest against new economic plans, and to pray for the government to show their concern for the people, the land, and future generations.
Cardinal Jean Baptiste Pham Minh Man, Archbishop of Saigon, stated that it is his pastoral duty to inform and raise awareness among his faithful about the risks of environmental damage in Vietnam after reviewing the recent reports on the issue at hand. The Cardinal's letter came a few days after a decision from Vietnam congress to back bauxite mining projects in the Central Highlands region despite widespread public protests.
The debate at Vietnam National Assembly occurred after a public outcry from scientists, intellectuals and former military high ranking officials-including general Vo Nguyen Giap, the legendary communist wartime hero – who oppose bauxite mining projects endorsed by the Politburo of Vietnam Communist Party - the Vietnam's most powerful ruling body.
Although the criticism of bauxite projects has come from various directions, in response, state-owned media have seemed to choose to punish only Catholics. Last month, Fr Peter Nguyen Van Khai, the spokesman of Hanoi Redemptorist Monastery, and another Redemptorist, Fr Joseph Le Quang Uy were victimized by the government for their opposition against bauxite projects when they decided to launch an inquiry for public opinion by asking all Vietnamese people to sign on a petition, asking the government to reconsider the risky plan. They were accused of being "stupid" and "ignorant", causing egregious harm to national unity and process of development, and of plotting to overthrow the communist regime.
In a clear gesture to defend the accused Catholic priests, the Cardinal viewed the open criticism of bauxite projects as "healthy signs" of a democratic society urging his faithful to stand up in the same manner to voice their protest "through legitimate representatives and media" because "protecting environment is our Christian's duty," he confirmed.
Vietnamese growing dissatisfaction with the government’s stance on China-Vietnam border issues.
Cardinal Jean Baptiste Pham has also involved in another "clash" with Vietnam government in a very sensitive issue of Vietnam- China border issues.
On July 24, the Archbishopric of Saigon and the Tri Thuc Publisher held a conference on Vietnam- China border issues amid news that the Vietnamese Communist Party under the pressure of its counterpart in China is going to compromise more on Land and Sea border negotiation.
The conference had been scheduled to take place right at the hall of the Archbishopric of Saigon. But at the last minutes, under heavy pressures of the government it had to move to another much smaller pastoral care center, 2 km away. Also, some key speakers including the Cardinal suddenly withdrew. They could not attend the conference due to “other much more important appointments”.
In November 2007, China formalized its annexation of the Paracels and Spratlys by incorporating the two archipelagoes into a newly formed administrative unit (known as "Tam Sa") of Hainan province. When this decision became known, Vietnamese students organized unprecedented protests outside Chinese diplomatic offices in Hanoi and Saigon. These protests only lasted for two weeks as Vietnamese police depressed quickly and detained many of the organizers.
Students’ patriotic protests called into question the legitimacy of the communist’s rule. Fifty years ago, China issued a declaration essentially claiming the entire South China Sea as an inland lake. Within days, on Sep. 14, 1958, prime minister Pham Van Dong of North Vietnam sent a diplomatic note to his counterpart Chou En-lai, acknowledging China's claim. The motivation of the Hanoi communists was absurd but for obvious reason: they needed China's military support badly during the war against the US-backed South Vietnam.
Toward the end of the Vietnam War, China taking advantage of South Vietnam's weakening military position attacked the Paracel Islands. In the naval battle of January 19, 1974, and subsequent Chinese attacks, 53 South Vietnamese sailors lost their lives defending the islands. The Saigon government protested the unprovoked invasion, while the Hanoi government expressed support for the Chinese move.
After the communist takeover of South Vietnam in 1975, more disgraceful concessions with China have been made by the Vietnam government. In year 2000 alone, Vietnam lost 700 sq.km of its land area for China. Hanoi regime relies on China for political support, photocopying Beijing's model of open economics and closed politics. As a result, it is reluctant to openly criticize China out of the fear that to criticize China is to condemn itself. Recently, China's renewed assertion of sovereignty over the entire South China Sea - waters between Vietnam and the Philippines and stretching down to Indonesia - have stirred popular outrage at home and across the Diaspora due to Hanoi's mute reaction to Beijing's stance and its disgraceful land and water border concessions to China.
Land disputes.
In both the capital Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City (formerly known as Saigon) hundreds of peasants protest daily to plead for the requisition of their land.
In a letter to the President and the PM of Vietnam, Bishop Michael Hoang Duc Oanh of Kontum diocese wrote "In this country numerous of the farmers and the poor have pleaded for years for the requisition of their properties but all in vain, as the authorities chose to persecute rather than to take care of them!"
Land disputes in Vietnam are on the rise as land value has increased at a dazing rate. As the corruption plague gets more and more pervasive, local authorities get bolder and bolder in seeking illegitimate, personal gain. They have invented infeasible projects just to have a cause to confiscate or to buy at very low cost land of farming land from the peasants. Once the owners have been kicked out of their land, state officials resell their land at higher prices, or build up hotels, restaurants, and night clubs as financial resources for government officials.
They have also started looking at Church properties that have been seized for years as in the case of Thai Ha land, Hanoi nunciature, and monasteries in South Vietnam. Church properties that are still in the Church’s control do not escape their greed neither.
Land and Property disputes with Catholics have resulted in massive protests in Hanoi, Thai Ha, Ha Dong, Vinh Long, Hue, and An Giang. The government risks facing similar protests from other religions and sects.
In these political and social contexts, Vietnam government obviously opted to create a cloud of fear and suspicion over the society by their brutal violence.
Recently, at least 30 dissidents have been reportedly arrested including Le Cong Dinh a prominent Vietnamese lawyer who was sitting on the defense of many high profile human rights cases in Vietnam. He was critical about the bauxite mining in central highlands of Vietnam, and was arrested by the Vietnamese government on June 13, 2009 on national security charges of "conducting propaganda against the government", though the arrest was met by the international community with strong objections.
The violent persecution at Dong Hoi is also in a plot to stifle dissidents and all those whose interests conflict with the Party.
What has become the new "norm" in the Vietnamese society nowadays is the indisputable existence of groups of pseudo-state men that seem to be present at any place where there is a clash between the government and the citizens. This "army" composes of vicious men who are acting like thugs with such an effectiveness due to their violent nature. The state media have never denied the existence of pro-government gangs. Rather, they seem to be pleased with their performance and therefore they appear more frequently during any conflict of the government versus the people. Their job is not only to terrify the Catholics but to other social groups of the Vietnamese people as a whole. It seems the ruling Party is sending a message to the entire nation that it has strong supports from non military people who are willing to protect the Party at any cost, most notably through violence.
The intensity and level of violence in Dong Hoi so far is much more than in Hanoi and Thai Ha as the local government of the city has followed a strict policy of persecutions on religions. It has never so shy about making known of their desire to transform Dong Hoi into a "No Catholic zone" just like in Son La and several other towns in the Central Highland of Vietnam when the existence of Catholics have been denied - even thousands of them actually living in the area.